In the fast-food, sandwich-making industry, innumerable food buns are utilized to make various different sandwiches such as, for example, hamburgers. The food buns are usually lightly toasted so as to impart warmth to the food funs as well as to impart a predetermined degree of crispness to the food buns. In addition, particularly within the fast-food industry, speed is a critical factor to be considered when preparing food items as ordered by patrons, as well as the aesthetic appearance of the finished food product. Accordingly, many operations are automated. One such operation is the toasting of the food buns wherein, for example, fresh, non-toasted food buns are inserted into an upper entrance end portion of a toaster appliance, the food buns are then conveyed vertically downwardly through the toaster appliance so as to be toasted while being conveyed vertically downwardly through the toaster appliance, and the toasted food buns are then discharged from a lower end portion of the toaster appliance. The food buns are conveyed along an endless conveyor belt which is continuously rotated around upper and lower drive and driven sprocket mechanisms operatively connected to a suitable drive motor. Alternatively, of course, the appliance can be structured so that the conveyor mechanism can be oriented horizontally.
One example of such an endless conveyor belt is disclosed within U.S. Pat. No. 7,987,972 which issued to Hennigar et al. on Aug. 2, 2011. This patent discloses a wire plate conveyor belt wherein adjacent plate elements are connected together by means of rod structures. Occasionally, particularly at the entrance end portion of the toaster appliance, as the conveyor belt is driven around the curved end portion of the conveyor mechanism, at which one of the drive or driven sprockets is disposed, the adjacent edge portions of adjacent plate elements of the conveyor will tend to separate from each other as the conveyor belt approaches and moves around this curved end portion of the conveyor mechanism. Accordingly, enlarged spaces will effectively be formed between adjacent edge portions of adjacent plate elements whereby an edge portion of a food bun, which has been inserted into the toaster appliance, can become disposed. Subsequently, as the conveyor belt effectively traverses the curved end portion of the endless conveyor, as defined by means of the drive or driven sprocket, the enlarged spaces between the adjacent plate elements will effectively be closed whereby the adjacent edge portions of the adjacent plate elements will again effectively come into engagement with each other. Accordingly, it can be appreciated that if an edge portion of one of the food buns was initially disposed within one of the enlarged spaces, then it would be pinched, distorted, or deformed due to its disposition between the adjacent edge portions of the adjacent plate elements which are now in engagement with each other. This is undesirable from the viewpoint of providing the patron with a food product that is aesthetically pleasing.
A need therefore exists in the art for a new and improved piece of food service equipment. Another need exists in the art for a new and improved food appliance. An additional need exists in the art for a new and improved food appliance comprising a toaster for toasting food products. A still additional need exists in the art for a new and improved food appliance comprising a toaster for toasting food products and which will have a vertically or horizontally oriented conveyor mechanism disposed interiorly thereof for conveying the food products during a toasting cycle. A yet additional need exists in the art for a new and improved food appliance comprising a toaster which has a vertically or horizontally oriented conveyor mechanism disposed interiorly thereof for conveying the food products during a toasting cycle and which is utilized for toasting various different food products such as, for example, food buns. A still yet additional need exists in the art for a new and improved food appliance comprising a toaster which has a vertically or horizontally oriented conveyor mechanism disposed interiorly thereof for conveying the food products during a toasting cycle and wherein the conveyor mechanism comprises an endless conveyor. A further need exists in the art for a new and improved food appliance comprising a toaster which has a vertically or horizontally oriented conveyor mechanism disposed interiorly thereof for conveying food products during a toasting cycle and wherein the conveyor mechanism comprises an endless conveyor which can continuously convey the food products, such as, for example, food buns, from an entrance end portion of the appliance to a discharge end portion of the appliance. A still further need exists in the art for a new and improved food appliance comprising a toaster appliance which has a vertically or horizontally oriented conveyor mechanism disposed interiorly thereof for conveying the food products during a toasting cycle, wherein the conveyor mechanism comprises an endless conveyor which can continuously convey the food products, such as, for example, food buns, from an entrance end portion of the appliance to a discharge end portion of the appliance, and wherein the component parts of the vertically or horizontally oriented endless conveyor will not pinch, distort, or deform the food products while the food products are being conveyed through the toaster appliance.